Spitfire: The People’s Plane

15th September 1940 was the moment the Germans chose to drive the Spitfire from the battlefield. The people on the ground, guiding the Spitfires - spotters, plotters and fitters- will play a vital role in a day that changed the course of World War Two.Presenter: Tuppence Middleton Producers: Alasdair Cross and Emily Knight Editors: Chris Ledgard and Kirsten Lass

How does it feel to fly the plane that won the war? Two Spitfire pilots - one 18 year old from the Battle of Britain, one from today’s RAF - compare their experiences of unparalleled ecstasy and paralysing fear.Presenter: Tuppence Middleton Producers: Alasdair Cross and Emily Knight Editors: Chris Ledgard and Kirsten Lass

It wasn’t just Spitfire production that needed to escape the bombs; the designers of the plane also need to find a safe place to improve the Spitfire to deal with Germany’s latest fighter developments.Presenter: Tuppence Middleton Producers: Alasdair Cross and Emily Knight Editors: Chris Ledgard and Kirsten Lass

Ramping up Spitfire production requires another new factory. Bigger, better, full of cutting-edge machinery and the best workers in the business. But it’s a catastrophe – one that nearly costs Britain dearly.

As brilliant as the Spitfire is, it has one major flaw. Take her into a steep dive and fuel can’t reach the engine. A solution is urgently needed. That’s a job for the fastest woman in Britain: champion motorcycle racer and pioneering engineer, Beatrice Shilling.Presenter: Tuppence Middleton Producers: Alasdair Cross and Emily Knight Editors: Chris Ledgard and Kirsten LassThe audio for this programme was updated on 16 June 2020.